Claude Oliver Says Hastings Should “Ask for Forgiveness”
And he wasn’t exactly nice about it…
Last Tuesday I attended a candidate forum held in Benton City Washington. There were a variety of local candidates (of which I will write about in the near future) but what I was there to see were the 4th Congressional District Candidates. While there was a rumor Richard (Doc?) Hastings would be there, as I suspected he was not (he sent a surrogate). But Democratic Candidate Richard Wright and Republican primary challenger Claude Oliver were.
And is that Oliver ever a fireball. When an audience question on immigration was posed, Oliver broad stroked the issue into one of national security and accountability…
This is another element that I look at… absentee responsibility. This congressman (Hastings) should be right here in front of you tonight telling you what he hasn’t done, and what he will do, and asking for your forgiveness to keep him in office.
You can listen to a brief clip here (e-mail me for the full audio).
Chalk much of that rhetoric as grandstanding but I suspect it wouldn’t have been much different if Hastings had been there. Hastings absence was said to be that he was on vacation in Aruba (on who’s dime we may never know) and yet his ability to show at Mike! McGavicks fundraiser “Starring Laura Bush” in Kennewick, displayed a level of arrogance that (generalizing Hastings behavior) Joel Connelly yesterday called stupidity.
Washington has been largely free from this behavior. Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Wash., was shielded behind aides last year, as his actions as chairman paralyzed the House Ethics Committee. But the duck dive was more a function of stupidity than hubris.
Perhaps it was a little of both. With polls trending towards democratic candidates for congress this November, Hastings primary challenge from Oliver could prove difficult. One insider source notes however, that Oliver has less recognition outside of the Tri-Cities than perhaps Richard Wright.
Oliver is a curious anomaly to me. In some circles I hear he is fiercely independent, and in others I hear he is as far right as they get. One suggestion I have heard is that he is willing to tell folks whatever they want to hear. Flannel-mouth populist rhetoric is easy if you know which buttons to push so this may well all be true. But either way, he is racking up some support in amongst democrats and republicans alike. He knows the support for nuclear technology is high in this district and has been a proponent for it, and a thorn in the side of DOE when they abandoned promising facilities like the Fast Flux Test Facility (FFTF) and quietly attempted to avoid paying area taxes dating back to the 1940′s. Yet his seeming alliance with newly hatched press Tri-City Citizen and it’s penchant for extremely partisan rhetoric from former Tri-City Herald writer Ken Harvey leave me with a lot of questions. I mean, Harvey is fucking out there! Most of what he writes reminds me of ultra right wing extremist chain mail and and is so easily shot full of holes that it is surprising he (if he’s not already) isn’t on the payroll of some right wing organization.
So who really is Claude Oliver? I hope to find out…
bluesky on August 31st, 2006
So who really is Claude Oliver? I hope to find out…
I hope you do! I heard Oliver speak at the Labor Conference last week in Wenatchee, and he was fiery, but very smooth, and was warmly received by a roomful of hardcore union people. Quite odd. He said some surprising things for a Republican, such as he said he supports public financing of congressional campaigns. But fiery as he was, he was still not specific, no details, just rhetoric. I have no idea where he stands on “social” issues, but I could garner a guess. He was at the Labor show because he has great support from the mechanics’ union. He was so smooth he kind of gave me the willies, though. Please let us know what you find out.